in the Foreign Service

My Life Has Turned Into a Movie Plot

Sabotage, intrigue, chaos, good guys vs. bad guys, damsel in distress, heartbreak. This month has had its share of ups, down, twists, turns, and wtfs. Everything came crashing down around me this morning. Don’t you just hate it when everything seems to go to hell and you think nothing else could possibly go wrong. And it does. Everything goes even more wrong, so dismally, depressingly wrong that you wonder what sick game someone is playing with you.

But I’m lucky to have Peace Corps on my side. With one nice, simple, quick conversation my fate changed. It feels like this heavy burden has been lifted from my shoulders (or should I say head – this is Ghana, everything is carried on your head). I can breathe easier. My stress level has plummeted to a new low. I feel better, healthier. I’ve come to terms with my new fate and now I simply have to deal with it and move on. There is no use in dwelling on the things you cannot change or the past. Sometimes it is best to simply cut your losses and leave.

That’s a valuable lesson I’ve learnt in these past few weeks. It is hard to accept defeat or come to terms with the idea that things didn’t go according to plan. Things happen for a reason, even crappy ones. You learn to adapt and grow from the challenges you face. I’ve been faced with a difficult situation, one which I can honestly say I tried everything to change. For almost 1 year, I’ve been fighting an uphill battle. Well today it was decided that that battle was draining my resources, putting me in a bad position, and overall just crappy. So, I made the conscious decision to do what was best for my safety, security, health, overall wellbeing, and work. It was a very difficult decision to make, but I think it will be beneficial in the long-run. It’s done, I’m moving sites.

I can feel it in my bones that this was the right decision. It isn’t easy to start over, but life isn’t meant to be easy. Easy is boring, I need a good challenge. And that’s exactly what I’ll get.